#5 - JRL 7286
NOVAYA GAZETA DIGEST
No. 58, Monday, August 11, 2003
Translated by Luba Schwartzman
ISSUE THEME – In “The Kursk Case Should be Reopened,” Elena Mishaeva
writes that men in uniform are responsible for the loss of the submarine.
Tomorrow will be the third anniversary of the tragedy. Criminal Case No.
29/00/0016/00 on the loss of the Kursk submarine and the deaths of 118 crew
members was closed a year ago. The conclusions of the unique investigation
were “no one is at fault,” and “series of coincidences.” But during the
two
years of heroic investigation work, dozens of instances of abuses of power
and other infractions were uncovered. Today, Novaya Gazeta publishes an
alternative legal position on the Kursk Affair: the petition of lawyer Boris
Kuznetsov, who represents forty families of the perished sailors. In a way,
this is an equally unique and even historic document, which has already set
the opposing sides (military officials vs. the lawyer and the relatives of
the victims) against each other in court. It is likely that, in a year or
two, investigators from the military prosecutor’s office will have to review
the facts and their conclusions more competently and impartially.
SCANDAL – “Burying Party of Prosecutors,” by Roman Shleinov: The
General
Prosecutor’s Office is waiting until witnesses and suspects in the “Tri
Kita” case are all killed off. This will simplify the investigation.
Criminals and prosecutors make an excellent burying party. They seem to
have the same goals in the scandal involving smuggled furniture and money
laundering through the Bank of New York. They are burying the case from
opposite ends. The General Prosecutor’s Office “lost” hundreds of
documents, returned confiscated materials to suspects, and sustains
accusations against the Interior Ministry investigator in charge of the
case. The criminals are burying witnesses, intimidating judges and those
involved in the investigation. We have watched the fate of Tri Kita for
several years. Yuri Shchekochikhin tried to get to the bottom of the case
as a journalist and as a State Duma Deputy. It was thanks to him that the
State Duma’s Commission for the Fight Against Corruption and Committee for
Security posed some unpleasant questions to the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Thanks to Shchekochikhin we found out about the results of the German and
Italian investigation. We learned that Western investigators got a lot
further than our prosecutors. Shchekochikhin received anonymous phone
threats. Two unidentified men attacked him in front of his house (their
getaway Volga car was demonstrated they weren’t ordinary hooligans). Deputy
General Prosecutors implored Yuri Shchekochikhin to ease up. On the eve of
his murder, Shchekochikhin was planning to travel to the United States and
ask the FBI to investigate the aspect of the Tri Kita case involving money
laundering through the Bank of New York. The list of victims is quite
impressive. But the fact that it now includes Andrei Saenko says a lot.
Saenko ties together several of the most important fragments of this saga.
Saenko, who turned 30 in July, knew too much about smuggling, arms export
and FSB employees for a small businessman from the suburbs of Moscow…
SPECIAL REPORT – Fates of children in wars are alike. Like peas in a pod.
Or like cartridges in an ammunition belt. How do they get there, and what
happens to them afterwards? Novaya Gazeta tries to answer these questions
in a new column: “Children’s War.” Over 300,000 children are fighting in
30
countries, including Russia. Sergei Mikhalych and Viktoria Ivleva:
“Children’s War. Production of Terrorists. Part 1: Africa. North Uganda.”
20,000 children walked through the streets of Kitum. They came from
different villages with the same request. Two requests actually. They
don’s want to kill anyone, and they don’t want to be killed.
DETAILS – “The State is a Commodity, Which can be Sold Several Times,”
by
Novaya Gazeta columnist Yulia Latunina. Major changes in Russia happen in
August. The August 19, 1991 putsch, the August 17, 1998 default, the August
9, 1999 appointment of FSB Director Vladimir Putin as Prime Minister. This
happens because too many of those who could stop events or profit from them
are on vacation. Last week there were rumors that Prime Minister Mikhail
Kasyanov and Presidential Administration Head Aleksandr Voloshin were
dismissed. The rumors broke out when President Putin was travelling and
Kasyanov and Voloshin were on vacation. The man in charge was Viktor
Ivanov, the head of the “security wing” opposing the Family. The Russian
Government is not a simple commodity – it is a unique one, which can be sold
twice. Or perhaps three times. Everyone tried to take advantage of the
security structure, which has been like a Genie released from a bottle, and
now they are watching the uncontrolled chain reaction with surprise.
ALSO IN THE ISSUE:
:: The Fascism of mass consciousness: “We Need a New Kind of Party! Thank
God it Hasn’t Been Found,” by Yana Serova.
:: They were looking for a national idea – and found the Nazi idea. “New
Generation Tearing Out Payos?” by special correspondent from Voronezh
Aleksandr Yagodkin.
:: Ingmar Bergman is 85, but he continues to work. Ern Donnar’s interview
with the great film director, “Demons Must be Made Useful.”
:: AFTERLIFE. Today is the fortieth day. Read about Yuri Shchekochikhin.
Contact Information for Novaya Gazeta
(095) 923-9485
www.novayagazeta.ru
Aug. 12, 2003:
#7285 • #7286 • JRL Home
- Back to the Top -